Panchang · Gochar
Gochar 2021: when each graha changes sign
In 2021, Guru moves into Kumbha on 5 Apr; Guru moves into Makara on 14 Sep; Guru moves into Kumbha on 20 Nov. Below is every sign change, station and asta period of the nine grahas.
Times in Manchester (Europe/London, GMT/BST).
The grahas on 1 January 2021
Sidereal (Lahiri) sign, and from when to when. Open a graha for its whole year.
- Surya (Sun)In Dhanusince 15 Dec 2020, until 14 Jan 2021
- Chandra (Moon)In Karkasince 31 Dec 2020, until 2 Jan 2021
- Mangala (Mars)In Meshasince 24 Dec 2020, until 21 Feb 2021
- Budha (Mercury)In Dhanusince 17 Dec 2020, until 4 Jan 2021
- Guru (Jupiter)In Makarasince 20 Nov 2020, until 5 Apr 2021
- Shukra (Venus)In Vrishchikasince 10 Dec 2020, until 3 Jan 2021
- Shani (Saturn)In Makarasince 24 Jan 2020, until 29 Apr 2022
- RahuIn Vrishabhasince 23 Sep 2020, until 12 Apr 2022
- KetuIn Vrishchikasince 23 Sep 2020, until 12 Apr 2022
Gochar calendar for 2021
Times in Manchester (Europe/London, GMT/BST). Each is the same instant everywhere on Earth. The Moon changes sign every two and a half days, so its list is on its own page.
Sign changeRetrograde / directAsta / rising
January 2021
3 Jan11:34 pm
Shukra enters Dhanu
4 Jan10:25 pm
Budha enters Makara
7 Jan11:11 am
Shani becomes combust (asta) until 9 Feb†
12 Jan11:10 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
14 Jan2:45 am
Surya enters Makara
14 Jan11:28 pm
Guru becomes combust (asta) until 12 Feb†
25 Jan10:59 am
Budha enters Kumbha
27 Jan10:00 pm
Shukra enters Makara
30 Jan3:51 pm
Budha turns retrograde at 2°20′ Kumbha
February 2021
2 Feb10:04 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 14 Feb†
4 Feb5:34 pm
Budha enters Makara (moving backward)
9 Feb8:35 pm
Shani rises again (asta ends)†
12 Feb5:31 am
Guru rises again (asta ends)†
12 Feb3:42 pm
Surya enters Kumbha
13 Feb7:50 pm
Shukra becomes combust (asta) until 4 May†
14 Feb7:27 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
20 Feb8:52 pm
Shukra enters Kumbha
21 Feb12:52 am
Budha turns direct at 16°52′ Makara
21 Feb11:07 pm
Mangala enters Vrishabha
March 2021
11 Mar7:04 am
Budha enters Kumbha
14 Mar12:34 pm
Surya enters Meena
16 Mar9:31 pm
Shukra enters Meena
31 Mar8:14 pm
Budha enters Meena
April 2021
4 Apr10:18 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 1 May†
5 Apr7:59 pm
Guru enters Kumbha
10 Apr2:00 am
Shukra enters Mesha
13 Apr8:45 pm
Mangala enters Mithuna
13 Apr10:04 pm
Surya enters Mesha
16 Apr4:28 pm
Budha enters Mesha
May 2021
1 May1:12 am
Budha enters Vrishabha
1 May6:41 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
4 May2:15 am
Shukra rises again (asta ends)†
4 May8:57 am
Shukra enters Vrishabha
14 May6:56 pm
Surya enters Vrishabha
23 May9:44 am
Shani turns retrograde at 19°22′ Makara
26 May4:04 am
Budha enters Mithuna
28 May7:31 pm
Shukra enters Mithuna
29 May11:33 pm
Budha turns retrograde at 0°34′ Mithuna
June 2021
2 Jun2:23 am
Mangala enters Karka
2 Jun2:35 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 19 Jun†
2 Jun10:00 pm
Budha enters Vrishabha (moving backward)
15 Jun1:32 am
Surya enters Mithuna
19 Jun3:35 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
20 Jun3:47 pm
Guru turns retrograde at 8°02′ Kumbha
22 Jun9:52 am
Shukra enters Karka
22 Jun11:00 pm
Budha turns direct at 21°58′ Vrishabha
July 2021
7 Jul6:43 am
Budha enters Mithuna
16 Jul12:23 pm
Surya enters Karka
17 Jul4:56 am
Shukra enters Simha
19 Jul9:47 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 16 Aug†
20 Jul1:25 pm
Mangala enters Simha
25 Jul7:12 am
Budha enters Karka
August 2021
8 Aug9:02 pm
Budha enters Simha
11 Aug7:02 am
Shukra enters Kanya
16 Aug12:06 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
16 Aug8:47 pm
Surya enters Simha
17 Aug9:40 am
Mangala becomes combust (asta) until 29 Nov†
26 Aug6:48 am
Budha enters Kanya
September 2021
5 Sep8:20 pm
Shukra enters Tula
5 Sep11:28 pm
Mangala enters Kanya
14 Sep9:47 am
Guru enters Makara (moving backward)
16 Sep8:43 pm
Surya enters Kanya
22 Sep3:41 am
Budha enters Tula
27 Sep6:09 am
Budha turns retrograde at 1°19′ Tula
October 2021
1 Oct10:30 pm
Budha enters Kanya (moving backward)
2 Oct5:17 am
Shukra enters Vrishchika
3 Oct8:47 pm
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 15 Oct†
11 Oct3:49 am
Shani turns direct at 12°43′ Makara
15 Oct11:45 pm
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
17 Oct8:43 am
Surya enters Tula
18 Oct6:46 am
Guru turns direct at 28°10′ Makara
18 Oct4:17 pm
Budha turns direct at 15°58′ Kanya
21 Oct9:33 pm
Mangala enters Tula
30 Oct11:41 am
Shukra enters Dhanu
November 2021
2 Nov4:25 am
Budha enters Tula
5 Nov11:22 am
Budha becomes combust (asta) until 24 Dec†
16 Nov7:33 am
Surya enters Vrishchika
20 Nov6:08 pm
Guru enters Kumbha
20 Nov11:20 pm
Budha enters Vrishchika
29 Nov1:50 am
Mangala rises again (asta ends)†
December 2021
5 Dec12:29 am
Mangala enters Vrishchika
8 Dec8:21 am
Shukra enters Makara
10 Dec12:35 am
Budha enters Dhanu
15 Dec10:14 pm
Surya enters Dhanu
19 Dec10:34 am
Shukra turns retrograde at 2°20′ Makara
24 Dec11:58 am
Budha rises again (asta ends)†
29 Dec6:00 am
Budha enters Makara
30 Dec2:29 am
Shukra enters Dhanu (moving backward)
† Practice varies. Texts and almanacs give slightly different asta limits, and some almanacs use the true rather than the mean node for Rahu and Ketu, which can move the nodes’ sign changes by some weeks.
See also: Transits over your chart · Gochar (glossary) · Sade Sati · Ayanamsa · Sankranti
Understand
What gochar is
Gochar means the movement of the grahas: each moves on through the zodiac, and when it crosses from one rasi into the next, that is its sign change (sankramana). This page only says which graha is where, and when. In the classical method gochar is read by counting from a person’s natal Moon sign; to see today’s sky against your own chart, open the transits tool.
Retrograde (vakri) and direct (margi)
Seen from the Earth, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn now and then appear to move backward for a while. That is retrograde motion; the instant the graha stops and turns is a station, and moving forward again is turning direct. It is an effect of the Earth and the planet moving on their orbits at different speeds. The Sun and Moon are never retrograde; Rahu and Ketu (mean) always move backward.
Combustion (asta)
A graha very close to the Sun is lost in its glare; the texts call it asta (set), and its reappearance udaya (rising). The Surya Siddhanta gives a distance limit for each graha. The limits used here: Mangala 17°, Budha 14° (12° when retrograde), Guru 11°, Shukra 10° (8° when retrograde), Shani 15°. Almanacs leave out the asta periods of Guru and Shukra when choosing times for samskaras such as weddings.
Sidereal signs
Indian almanacs count the rasis against the stars (nirayana). Western (tropical) signs run about 24° ahead, so the dates printed there are about three weeks earlier than these. The ayanamsa used here is Lahiri.
How this is calculated
Each graha’s apparent geocentric position from NASA JPL’s DE421 ephemeris, less the Lahiri ayanamsa. The instants of crossing a rasi edge, of zero speed and of reaching the asta limit are found by bisection to under a second. Small differences in ayanamsa can move a slow graha’s time (Shani above all) by a few hours against other almanacs.
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